Ultrathin solid state dies and methods of manufacturing the same

ABSTRACT

Various embodiments of SST dies and solid state lighting (“SSL”) devices with SST dies, assemblies, and methods of manufacturing are described herein. In one embodiment, a SST die includes a substrate material, a first semiconductor material and a second semiconductor material on the substrate material, an active region between the first semiconductor material and the second semiconductor material, and a support structure defined by the substrate material. In some embodiments, the support structure has an opening that is vertically aligned with the active region.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present technology is directed generally to solid state transducer(“SST”) dies, for example light emitting dies, having integrated supportstructures formed from engineered growth substrates, and methods ofmanufacturing such SST dies.

BACKGROUND

SST dies include light-emitting diodes (“LEDs”), organic light emittingdiodes (“OLEDs”), polymer light-emitting diodes (“PLEDS”), and othertypes of light emitting dies. The energy efficiency and small size ofSST dies has led to the proliferation of these devices in a multitude ofproducts. For example, televisions, computer monitors, mobile phones,digital cameras, and other electronic devices utilize LEDs for imagegeneration, object illumination (e.g., camera flashes) and/orbacklighting. LEDs are also used for signage, indoor and outdoorlighting, traffic lights, and other types of illumination. Improvedfabrication techniques for these semiconductor devices have both lowereddevice cost and increased device efficiency.

FIGS. 1A-1C illustrate a process for forming an SST die where the growthsubstrate is completely removed and a separate support substrate isattached to support the semiconductor materials. FIG. 1A illustrates anSST die 10 formed by growing epitaxial layers, including an N-typegallium nitride (“GaN”) material 12, an active region 14, and a P-typeGaN material 16, on a growth substrate 20 to form an SST structure 22.The active region 14 can be a light-emitting indium gallium nitride(“InGaN”) material sandwiched between the N-type and P-typesemiconductor materials 12 and 16. The growth substrate 20 is typicallyeither sapphire, silicon carbide (“SiC”), silicon, or SiC-on-insulator(SiCOI). The growth substrate 20 can alternatively be an engineeredsubstrate, such as silicon on poly-aluminum nitride.

It is sometimes desirable to remove the growth substrate 20 to improvethe optical properties of the SST die 10 or to gain electrical access tothe SST structure 22. For example, growth substrates, in particularengineered substrates, are typically opaque and thus will block emissionof light produced by the SST structure 22 if the growth substrate 20 isnot removed. However, since the epitaxial layers 12, 14, and 16 areextremely delicate and thin (e.g., less than 10 microns), the outerepitaxial layer 16 of the SST die 10 must first be attached to a supportsubstrate 24 before removing the growth substrate 20. As shown in FIG.1B, the SST structure 22 is sandwiched between the growth substrate 20and the support substrate 24. FIG. 1C shows the SST die 10 after thegrowth substrate 20 has been removed in its entirety by known processes.In production, a wafer having a large number of SST dies 10 is processedto form the SST structure 22, and the support substrate 24 has the sameform factor as the wafer. After the growth substrate 20 is removed, theassembly is then diced to singulate the individual SST dies 10 formounting in a package.

One drawback of the method shown in FIGS. 1A-1C is that the growthsubstrate 20 is completely sacrificed, which adds both time and materialcosts. Another drawback is that the support substrate itself is oftenfairly thick and adds to the thickness of the resulting device.Furthermore, the process of bonding the support substrate 24 to the SSTstructure 22 is costly and may damage the support structure 22. As such,the method described with respect to FIGS. 1A-1C is capital intensiveand expensive to perform.

Many SSL designs address this issue by using optically transmissivesubstrates, such as sapphire. As a result, sapphire substrates are notremoved from the front side of the die. However, sapphire is expensiveand thin (e.g., 0.15 to 5 microns) and requires a thicker conductiveplate on the back side of the device. A thicker conductive plate caninduce stress in the die and increases cost of production. Accordingly,several improvements in support structures of SST dies may be desirable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1C are schematic cross-sectional views of various stages in amethod for forming an LED device according to the prior art.

FIGS. 2A-2U are schematic cross-sectional and top views of a portion ofa microelectronic substrate undergoing a process for forming SST dies inaccordance with embodiments of the technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments of SST dies with light emitting structures or otherSSL structures and associated methods of manufacturing SST dies aredescribed below. As used herein, the term “SST structure” refers to thesemiconductor materials that transduce either electricity into radiationor radiation into electrical current, and the term “SST die” generallyrefers to a die with one or more SST structures and associatedcomponents, such as growth and/or support substrates, buffer materials,reflective layers, contacts, etc. The individual SST dies can bepackaged to form SST devices. The term “growth substrate” is usedthroughout to include substrates upon which and/or in which thesemiconductor materials that form the SST structure are formed. A personskilled in the relevant art will also understand that the technology mayhave additional embodiments, and that the technology may be practicedwithout several of the details of the embodiments described below withreference to FIGS. 2A-2U.

FIGS. 2A-2U are schematic cross-sectional and top views of a portion ofa microelectronic substrate undergoing processing in accordance withembodiments of the technology. In the following description, common actsand structures are identified by the same reference numbers. Even thoughonly particular processing operations and associated structures areillustrated in FIGS. 2A-2U, in certain embodiments the process can alsoinclude forming a lens, a mirror material, support structures,conductive interconnects, and/or other suitable mechanical/electricalcomponents (not shown).

FIG. 2A illustrates a portion of a semiconductor wafer having aplurality of SST dies 100. The SST dies 100 can include an SST structure101 formed on a growth substrate 102. The growth substrate 102 caninclude a silicon (Si) material (e.g., with a Si(1,1,1) crystalorientation), and in several embodiments the growth substrate can be anengineered substrate. Engineered substrates can include a structuralmaterial and a growth surface suitable for epitaxy. For example, thestructural material can be selected to have the desired strength forprocessing and a coefficient of thermal expansion that approximates theepitaxial materials formed on the growth surface, and the growth surfacecan be a different material bonded to the structural material thatprovides the desired crystalline structure to form the semiconductorepitaxial layers. In one embodiment, the structural material ispoly-aluminum nitride and the growth material is silicon (1,1,1). As isknown in the art, poly-aluminum nitride is opaque and does not transmitemissions produced by the SST structure 101.

As shown in FIG. 2A, an optional buffer material 103 can be formed onthe growth substrate 102, and the SST structure 101 can then be formedon the buffer material 103. In certain embodiments, the optional buffermaterial 103 can include aluminum nitride (AlN), GaN, zinc nitride(ZnN), and/or other suitable materials. In other embodiments, theoptional buffer material 103 may be omitted, and the SSL structure 101may be formed directly on the growth substrate 102. In furtherembodiments, other suitable materials (e.g., zinc oxide (ZnO₂)) may beformed on the growth substrate 102 in addition to or in lieu of thebuffer material 103.

The SSL structure 101 can include a first semiconductor material 104, anactive region 106, and a second semiconductor material 108 stacked oneon the other. In one embodiment, the first and second semiconductormaterials 104 and 108 include an N-type GaN material and a P-type GaNmaterial, respectively. In another embodiment, the first and secondsemiconductor materials 104 and 108 include a P-type GaN material and anN-type GaN material, respectively. In further embodiments, the first andsecond semiconductor materials 104 and 108 can individually include atleast one of gallium arsenide (GaAs), aluminum gallium arsenide(AlGaAs), gallium arsenide phosphide (GaAsP), gallium(III) phosphide(GaP), zinc selenide (ZnSe), boron nitride (BN), AlGaN, and/or othersuitable semiconductor materials. For reference purposes, one side ofthe first semiconductor material 104 defines a first or front side 101 aof the SST structure 101 and an opposing side of the secondsemiconductor material 108 defines a second or back side 101 b of theSST structure 101.

The active region 106 can include a single quantum well (“SQW”), MQWs,and/or a bulk semiconductor material. As used hereinafter, a “bulksemiconductor material” generally refers to a single grain semiconductormaterial (e.g., InGaN) with a thickness greater than about 10 nanometersand up to about 500 nanometers. In certain embodiments, the activeregion 106 can include an InGaN SQW, InGaN/GaN MQWs, and/or an InGaNbulk material. In other embodiments, the active region 106 can includealuminum gallium indium phosphide (AlGaInP), aluminum gallium indiumnitride (AlGaInN), and/or other suitable materials or configurations.

In certain embodiments, at least one of the first semiconductor material104, the active region 106, and the second semiconductor material 108can be formed on the growth substrate 102 via metal organic chemicalvapor deposition (“MOCVD”), molecular beam epitaxy (“MBE”), liquid phaseepitaxy (“LPE”), and hydride vapor phase epitaxy (“HVPE”). In otherembodiments, at least one of the foregoing components and/or othersuitable components (not shown) of the SSL structure 101 may be formedvia other suitable epitaxial growth techniques.

FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of one of the SST dies 100 after acontact 110 has been formed at the second side 101 b of the SSTstructure 101. FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view of the SST die 100during a subsequent operation of the process after a masking material112 (e.g., a photoresist) has been formed on a back surface 110 b of thecontact 110. The masking material 112 can then be patterned to define aplurality of mask openings 114 via photolithography and/or othersuitable techniques. The mask openings 114 individually expose selectedportions of the contact 110.

FIG. 2D is a cross-sectional view and FIG. 2E is a top view of the SSTdie 100 after portions of the SSL structure 101 have been removed toform a plurality of emitters 115 separated from one another bycorresponding SSL openings 116. In certain embodiments, the maskingmaterial 112 (FIG. 2C) is also removed from the contact 110. Suitabletechniques for removing materials from the SSL structure 101 and/or thecontact 110 can include wet etching, dry etching, laser ablation, and/orother suitable techniques. In the illustrated embodiment, the SSLstructure 101 is etched until reaching a back surface 104 b firstsemiconductor material 104. In other embodiments, as shown by dashedlines 105 in FIG. 2D, etching the SSL structure 101 may be etched downinto the optional buffer material 103, and/or as shown by dashed lines107 the materials may be etched down to the growth substrate 102.

The emitters 115 can individually include an active element 106′ definedby the remaining portions of the active region 106 at the emitters 115and a second semiconductor element 108′ defined by the remainingportions of the second semiconductor material 108 at the emitters 115.The emitters 115 can also have the first semiconductor material 104 incommon.

The emitters 115 may be arranged in the array shown in FIG. 2E or in anyarray (e.g., a two-by-two array shown in FIG. 2F for illustrationpurposes), radially in a circular pattern, in a semicircular pattern,and/or other suitable patterns (not shown). In further embodiments, theemitters 115 may be arranged in a combination of different arrays and/orpatterns. In yet further embodiments, the emitters 115 may be arrangedrandomly on the SST die 100.

In certain embodiments, the emitters 115 can have a generally similarshape, size, composition of material, and/or other suitablecharacteristics. For example, in the illustrated embodiment shown inFIG. 2E, the emitters 115 have a generally triangular cross section. Insome embodiments, the emitters can have a generally polygonal crosssection (FIG. 2F), and in some embodiments the emitters 115 can have acircular cross-section (see FIG. 2U). The emitters 115 can also have agenerally similar height H (e.g., from about 50 nanometers to about 500nanometers). In other embodiments, at least one of a length L, width W,and height H of at least one of the emitters 115 may have other suitablevalues different than other emitters 115.

FIG. 2G is a cross-sectional view and FIG. 2H are top views of the SSTdie 100 after another contact 118 has been formed on the back surface104 b of the first semiconductor material 104. For clarity, the contact118 defines a first contact and the contact 110 defines a second contactin this embodiment. The SST die 100 can have a plurality of gaps 117between each of the plurality of emitters 115 and the first contact 118that prevent the active element 106′ and second semiconductor element108′ from contacting the first contact 118. A portion of the backsurface 104 b of the first semiconductor material 104 can be exposed ata bottom portion of the gaps 117 at this point of the process. The SSTdie 100 can further include a peripheral gap 119 between anoutward-facing sidewall of the first contact 118 and the outside edge ofthe first semiconductor material 104. Another portion of the firstsemiconductor surface 104 b can be exposed along a bottom portion of theperipheral gap 119.

In certain embodiments, the first and/or second contacts 118, 110 caninclude indium tin oxide (“ITO”), aluminum zinc oxide (“AZO”),fluorine-doped tin oxide (“FTO”), and/or other suitable transparentconductive oxides (“TCOs”). In other embodiments, the first and/orsecond contacts 118, 110 can include copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), silver(Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), and/or other suitable metals. In furtherembodiments, the first and/or second contact 118, 110 can include acombination of TCOs and one or more metals. Techniques for forming thefirst and/or second contacts 118, 110 can include MOCVD, MBE, spraypyrolysis, pulsed laser deposition, sputtering, electroplating, and/orother suitable deposition techniques.

FIG. 2J is a cross-sectional view of the SST die 100 after an insulatingmaterial 120 has been formed on the SST die 100. In certain embodiments,the insulating material 120 at least substantially fills the SSLopenings 116 (FIG. 2D), gaps 117 and peripheral gaps 119. The insulatingmaterial 120 can include silicon dioxide (SiO₂), silicon nitride (SiN),hafnium silicate (HfSiO₄), zirconium silicate (ZrSiO₄), hafnium dioxide(HfO₂), zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂), aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), and/or othersuitable transparent materials with a dielectric constant higher thanabout 1.0 at 20° C. under 1 kHz. Techniques for forming the insulatingmaterial 120 can include chemical vapor deposition (“CVD”), atomic layerdeposition (“ALD”), spin-on coating, thermal oxidation, and/or othersuitable techniques.

In certain embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2J, the insulating material 120can have first portions 121 (shown in dashed lines for illustrativepurposes) superimposed with the back surface 110 b of the second contact110′ and second portions 123 superimposed with a back surface 118 b ofthe first contact 118 and exposed portions of the back surface 104 b ofthe first semiconductor material 104 adjacent the first contact 118. Thesecond portions 123 of the insulating material 120 between emitters 115can have a plurality of fingers 127 that extend into the gaps 117 (FIG.2G) between the emitters 115 and the first contact 118. At least aportion of the insulating material 120 is in direct contact withportions of the first semiconductor material 104. In some embodiments,the second portions 123 of the insulating material 120 at the peripherycan further include a peripheral finger 125 that extends into theperipheral gap 119 and directly contacts the sidewall of the firstsemiconductor material 104. The insulating material 120 electricallyisolates the individual emitters from one another and also providessupport and protection to the emitters 115 during packaging.

FIG. 2K is a cross-sectional view and FIG. 2L is a top view of the SSTdie 100 illustrating a subsequent stage after a plurality of channels122 a, 122 b have been formed in the insulating material 120 to expose aportion of the first contact 118 and the second contact 110,respectively. Techniques for removing a portion of the insulatingmaterial 120 can include photo-patterning and etching, laser ablation,and/or other suitable techniques.

FIG. 2M is a cross-sectional view of the SST die 100 after a conductivematerial 124 has been formed on the insulating material 120. Theconductive material 124 can have a back portion 129 superimposed withthe remaining insulating material 120, and the back portion 129 can havea thickness T_(C) from about 10 to about 50 microns. In certainembodiments, the conductive material 124 can include indium tin oxide(“ITO”), aluminum zinc oxide (“AZO”), fluorine-doped tin oxide (“FTO”),and/or other suitable transparent conductive oxide (“TCOs”). In otherembodiments, the conductive material 124 can include copper (Cu),aluminum (Al), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), and/or othersuitable metals. In further embodiments, the conductive material 124 caninclude a combination of TCOs and one or more metals. Techniques forforming the conductive material 124 can include MOCVD, MBE, spraypyrolysis, pulsed laser deposition, sputtering, electroplating, and/orother suitable deposition techniques.

In certain embodiments (not shown), a barrier material (e.g., WTi, Ta,TaN) and an optional seed material (e.g., Cu, Ni) can be formedsequentially over the back side of the SST die 100. The barrier and seedmaterials can be formed using CVD, PVD, ALD, patterning, and/or othersuitable methods. In some embodiments, the conductive material 124 canbe made from metal (e.g., Cu) and plated onto the seed material.

FIG. 2N is a cross-sectional view and FIG. 2O is a top view of the SSTdie 100 during another operation of the process where a channel 126 isetched through the conductive material 124 to divide the conductivematerial 124 into a first terminal 128 corresponding to the firstcontact 118 and a second terminal 130 corresponding to the secondcontact 110. At this stage of the process, the emitters 115 are betweengrowth substrate 102 and the first and second terminals 128 and 130. Inmany applications, the support substrate is a non-transmissive (e.g.,opaque) material, such as engineered substrates made from silicon onpoly-aluminum nitride. Thus, since the terminals 128 and 130 remain aspermanent components, it is necessary to extract the output of the SSTstructure 101 from the other side of the SST die 100.

FIGS. 2P-2U show aspects of processing the SST die 100 to extract lightfrom a front side 113 of the growth substrate 102. FIG. 2P shows the SSTdie 100 after it has been attached to a temporary carrier substrate 142.The temporary carrier substrate 142 can be any suitable material used inthe handling and processing of semiconductor wafers, such as a carriertape or a stainless steel plate. In one embodiment, a back side 111 ofthe SST die 100 is mounted to the carrier substrate 142 and the growthsubstrate 102 on a front side 113 is thinned (e.g., using grinding) to athickness T_(GS) of about 20 microns to about 50 microns.

FIG. 2Q is a cross-sectional view illustrating the SST die 100 afterportions of the of the growth substrate 102 aligned with the emitters115 have been removed using grinding, etching, and/or other processes toexpose the buffer material 103. FIG. 2R is a cross-sectional view andFIG. 2S is a top view of the SST die 100 portions of the buffer material103 aligned with the emitters 115 have been removed to expose portionsof the first semiconductor material 104 through recesses 132. In certainembodiments, the exposed surface of the first semiconductor material 104can be textured to improve light extraction.

As shown in FIGS. 2R and 2S, the remaining portions of the growthsubstrate 102 between the recesses 132 form a support structure 134 forthe SST die 100. The use of an opaque growth substrate to also form thepermanent support structure for the SST structure eliminates the need toattach a separate support substrate to the back side 111 of the SST die100. This reduces the material costs for an additional support structureand eliminates the step of bonding such a permanent support substrate tothe SST die 100. The support structure 134 is generally configured toprovide rigidity for the SST die 100 while allowing sufficient lightextraction by superimposing the support structure 134 with the firstcontact 118, and exposing the emitters 115 through the recesses 132.Accordingly, light is not generated under the opaque support structure134.

In certain embodiments, the partial support structure 134 can have aperipheral portion 136 extending around the periphery of the die 100 andan interior portion 138 contiguous with the peripheral portion 136, asshown in FIGS. 2R and 2S. The peripheral portion 136 and/or the interiorportion 138 can be comprised of one or more shorter segments 140. Theinterior portion 138 can extend interiorly from the peripheral portion136, cross through the interior of the die 100, and reconnect with theperipheral portion 136. As shown in FIG. 2S, in some embodiments two ormore interior portions 138 can intersect. One or more segments 140 ofthe peripheral portion 136 and/or one or more segments of the interiorportion 138 can intersect to form a closed space therebetween thatdefines the one or more recesses 132 on the die 100.

The peripheral portion 136, interior portion 138 and/or segments 140 canhave generally similar shapes, sizes, composition of material, and/orother suitable characteristics. For example, in the illustratedembodiment, each segment 140 has a generally linear shape such that athe recesses 132 formed therebetween have a polygonal cross-sectionalshape (e.g., triangle (FIG. 2S), square (FIG. 2T), pentagon, hexagon,etc.). In other embodiments, each segment 140 can have a non-linearshape such that the recesses 132 have a circular cross-sectional shape,as shown in FIG. 2U. In other embodiments, at least one of the length L,the width W, and the height H of at least one of the peripheral portion136, interior portion 138 and/or segments 140 may have other suitablevalues different than at least one other peripheral portion 136,interior portion 138 and/or segment 140.

In certain embodiments, the conductive material 124 plated on theopposite side of the die 100 from the partial support structure 134 canalso provide support and rigidity to the die 100. In contrast toconventional devices, the conductive material 124 can have a reducedthickness that results in improved stress management for the SST die 100as well as lower cost over existing devices. Furthermore, the resultingSST die 100 has improved thermal properties over conventional diesbecause the recesses 132 on the first side 101 a of the SST structure101 and the thermally conductive materials on the second side 101 b canefficiently dissipate heat produced by the SST structure 101. Asdiscussed, conventional dies include an insulative support substratethat does not allow such dissipation of heat.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments ofthe technology have been described herein for purposes of illustration,but that various modifications may be made without deviating from thedisclosure. Many of the elements of one embodiment may be combined withother embodiments in addition to or in lieu of the elements of the otherembodiments. Accordingly, the disclosure is not limited except as by theappended claims.

We claim:
 1. A solid state transducer (SST) die, comprising: a supportstructure comprising a structural material that has a lowtransmissiveness to radiation in a selected spectrum and a growthsurface suitable for growing epitaxial semiconductor materials, whereinthe support structure has an opening; an SST structure configured toproduce radiation in the selected spectrum, the SST structure having afirst semiconductor material grown on the growth surface of the supportstructure, a second semiconductor material, and an active region betweenthe first semiconductor material and the second semiconductor material;a first contact in contact with the first semiconductor material; asecond contact in contact with the second semiconductor material,wherein both the first contact and the second contact are positioned tobe connected to a power source from the same side of the SST die, and aninsulating material on the second semiconductor material, and the secondcontact, wherein the insulating material includes a plurality ofchannels extending therethrough; wherein the SST structure is alignedwith the opening in the support structure such that radiation in theselected spectrum passes through the opening.
 2. The SST die of claim 1wherein the structural material is opaque.
 3. The SST die of claim 1wherein: the SST structure further includes a plurality of emitters, theindividual emitters having the first semiconductor material in common,wherein the individual emitters have a second semiconductor elementspaced apart from the first semiconductor material, and an activeelement directly between the second semiconductor element and the firstsemiconductor material; the support structure further includes aplurality of segments configured to form a plurality of openings thatindividually expose a portion of a surface of the first semiconductormaterial; and the plurality of openings are superimposed with theplurality of emitters.
 4. The SST die of claim 3, further including: abuffer material on a portion of the growth surface; an insulatingmaterial on the first contact, the first semiconductor material, theactive region, the second semiconductor material, and the secondcontact; and a conductive material in direct contact with both thebuffer material and the insulating material.
 5. The SST die of claim 1wherein: the SST structure further includes a first side and a secondside opposite the first side; the support structure is at the first sideof the SST structure; the support structure has a thickness betweenabout 20 microns and about 50 microns; and the SST die further includesa conductive material, a portion of which is adjacent to the second sideof the SST structure, wherein the portion of the conductive materialadjacent to the second side has a thickness between about 10 microns andabout 15 microns.
 6. The SST die of claim 1 wherein the supportstructure comprises an engineered substrate.
 7. The SST die of claim 6wherein the growth substrate comprises silicon and the structuralmaterial comprises poly-aluminum nitride.
 8. The SST die of claim 1wherein the SST structure further includes at least a first emitter anda second emitter having the first semiconductor material in common,wherein each of the first and second emitters have a secondsemiconductor element spaced apart from the first semiconductor materialand an active element directly between the second semiconductor elementand the first semiconductor material, and wherein the SST die furtherincludes: a buffer material on a portion of the growth surface; a firstcontact in contact with the first semiconductor material; a secondcontact in contact with the second semiconductor element of the firstemitter or the second semiconductor element of the second emitter; aninsulating material on the first contact, the first semiconductormaterial, the active elements of both the first and second emitters, thesecond semiconductor elements of both the first and second emitters, andthe second contact; and a conductive material in direct contact withboth the buffer material and the insulating material.
 9. The SST die ofclaim 1, further including an insulating material on the first contact,the first semiconductor material, the active region, the secondsemiconductor material, and the second contact.
 10. The SST die of claim1, further including: a buffer material on a portion of the growthsurface; a conductive material on the buffer material.
 11. The SST dieof claim 1, further including: an insulating material on the firstcontact, the first semiconductor material, the active region, the secondsemiconductor material, and the second contact; and a conductivematerial on the insulating material.
 12. The SST die of claim 1 wherein:the SST structure further includes a plurality of emitters, theindividual emitters having the first semiconductor material in common,wherein each of the emitters has a second semiconductor element spacedapart from the first semiconductor material and an active elementdirectly between the second semiconductor element and the firstsemiconductor material; and the support structure further includes aplurality of segments configured to form a plurality of openings thatindividually expose a portion of a surface of the first semiconductormaterial.
 13. The SST die of claim 1, further including: an insulatingmaterial on the first contact, the first semiconductor material, theactive region, the second semiconductor material, and the secondcontact, wherein the insulating material includes a plurality ofchannels extending therethrough.
 14. The SST die of claim 1, furtherincluding: an insulating material on the first contact, the firstsemiconductor material, the active region, the second semiconductormaterial, and the second contact, wherein the insulating materialincludes: a first channel extending through the insulating material to aback surface of the first contact, thereby exposing the back surface ofthe first contact through the insulating material, and a second channelextending through the insulating material to a back surface of thesecond contact, thereby exposing the back surface of the second contactthrough the insulating material.
 15. The SST die of claim 1, furtherincluding: an insulating material on the first contact, the firstsemiconductor material, the active region, the second semiconductormaterial, and the second contact, wherein the insulating materialincludes a plurality of channels extending therethrough; and aconductive material on the insulating material and in at least some ofthe channels.
 16. The SST die of claim 1, further including: aninsulating material on the first contact, the first semiconductormaterial, the active region, the second semiconductor material, and thesecond contact, wherein the insulating material includes: a firstchannel extending through the insulating material to a back surface ofthe first contact, thereby exposing the back surface of the firstcontact through the insulating material, and a second channel extendingthrough the insulating material to a back surface of the second contact,thereby exposing the back surface of the second contact through theinsulating material; and a conductive material on the insulatingmaterial and in the first and second channels such that the conductivematerial has a first portion in direct contact with the first contactand a second portion in direct contact with the second contact.
 17. TheSST die of claim 1 wherein: the SST structure further includes at leasta first emitter and a second emitter, and wherein the first and secondemitters have the first semiconductor material in common, wherein theindividual first and second emitters have a second semiconductor elementspaced apart from the first semiconductor material, and an activeelement directly between the second semiconductor element and the firstsemiconductor material; and wherein the first and second emitters areelectrically isolated.
 18. A solid state transducer (SST) die,comprising: a support structure comprising a structural material thathas a low transmissiveness to radiation in a selected spectrum and agrowth surface suitable for growing epitaxial semiconductor materials,wherein the support structure has an opening; an SST structureconfigured to produce radiation in the selected spectrum, the SSTstructure having a first semiconductor material grown on the growthsurface of the support structure, a second semiconductor material, andan active region between the first semiconductor material and the secondsemiconductor material; a first contact in contact with the firstsemiconductor material; a second contact in contact with the secondsemiconductor material; an insulating material on the first contact, thefirst semiconductor material, the active region, the secondsemiconductor material, and the second contact, wherein the insulatingmaterial includes a plurality of channels extending therethrough, andwherein the SST structure is aligned with the opening in the supportstructure such that radiation in the selected spectrum passes throughthe opening.
 19. The SST of claim 18, further comprising a conductivematerial on the insulating material.
 20. A solid state transducer (SST)die, comprising: a support structure comprising a structural materialthat has a low transmissiveness to radiation in a selected spectrum anda growth surface suitable for growing epitaxial semiconductor materials,wherein the support structure has an opening; an SST structureconfigured to produce radiation in the selected spectrum, the SSTstructure having a first semiconductor material grown on the growthsurface of the support structure, a second semiconductor material, anactive region between the first semiconductor material and the secondsemiconductor material, and a plurality of emitters; and an insulatingmaterial on the second semiconductor material and the plurality ofemitters, wherein the insulating material includes a plurality ofchannels extending therethrough; wherein the individual emitters havethe first semiconductor material in common, and wherein each of theemitters has a second semiconductor element spaced apart from the firstsemiconductor material and an active element directly between the secondsemiconductor element and the first semiconductor material, and whereinthe support structure further includes a plurality of segmentsconfigured to form a plurality of openings that individually expose aportion of a surface of the first semiconductor material, and whereinthe SST structure is aligned with the opening in the support structuresuch that radiation in the selected spectrum passes through the opening.